Geoff Donaker joined Yelp in 2005 to head business development and has been COO since 2006. In his current role, Donaker oversees the company's business operations including sales, marketing and administration.

Prior to Yelp, he held several roles at eBay, most recently as Director of International Categories. He was previously a manager at Excite, Classifieds2000, Voter.com and Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman). Donaker holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Yelp COO Geoff Donaker steps through the big questions and challenges faced in taking a company public. Donaker discusses working with bankers, developing a road show for investors, and many of the issues of pricing and timing faced by Yelp in the run up to their public offering in 2012.

Yelp COO Geoff Donaker steps through the big questions and challenges faced in taking a company public. Donaker discusses working with bankers, developing a road show for investors, and many of the issues of pricing and timing faced by Yelp in the run up to their public offering in 2012.

Yelp Chief Operating Officer Geoff Donaker talks about the company's decision to turn down lucrative acquisition offers pre-IPO. While selling would've benefited Yelp's founders and early investors, Donaker says it was unclear what the effect would be for the rest of Yelp's employees and growing user community.

Yelp COO Geoff Donaker talks about how the company saw the resignation of its previous chief financial officer as the ideal time to go public. Donaker says an impending IPO made Yelp focus on candidates with previous CFO experience taking a company public.

Yelp Chief Operating Officer Geoff Donaker recounts traveling around the country with company leaders to meet with institutional investors prior to the IPO. He explains how the amount of shares bought, and at what price, reflects demand.

Yelp COO Geoff Donaker describes how the strength of the site lies in all the reviews by everyday people, and how even the small percentage of users who write reviews leads to increased engagement. He also discusses grassroots growth in new cities via recruitment of Yelp "community managers."